The festival list sparkles with- India’s most popular authors with two New York Times bestselling crime thrillers written along with James Patterson under his belt among other numerous books; the irrepressible, fearless and delightfully irreverent Shobhaa De who comments extensively on India’s socio-cultural-political contours and is author of 20 books andcountless columns; the acclaimed RanaDasgupta, author of the short story collection Tokyo Cancelled, winner of the 2010 Commonwealth Writers’ Prize forBest Book for Soloand a nominee forthe Orwell and Ondaatje Prizes in 2015 for Capital; Amitabha Bagchi, author of therecent Half the Night is Goneand anominee of the Dublin IMPAC Literary Prize 2015 for This Place, Professor of English at Vassar College and a GuggenheimFellow, Amitava Kumar whose latestwork, Immigrant, Montana: A Novel, isan erotic and enigmatic exploration of the quintessential immigrant psyche; Anita Nair, Sahitya Akademi awardeeandcelebrated author, playwright and poet of The Better Man, Ladies Coupé,Mistress, Lessons in Forgetting, Idris: Keeper of the Light, Malabar Mind,among others; and New York Times &Guardian columnist, BBC presenter of the popular radio show Museum of Lost Objects and much feteddebutante novelist Kanishk Tharoor, authorof Swimmer Among the Stars, which wasnamed the Guardian and NPR Best Book of the Year.

So, get ready for the ZEE Jaipur Literature Festival with the inspiring speakers !

Rajasthan Tourism Beat’s parallel venture Jaipur Beat gets candid with one of the greatest Indian folk & Sufi Music artists of India – Kailash Kher !
Watch him talk about music, love, passion & his special connection with Jaipur before his performance at JLF Music Stage 2018 at Hotel Clarks Amer .

Following Kailash Kher we have English singer-songwriter David Gray who talked about his music, passion & his first gig performance in India !
David Gray also performed at JLF Music Stage 2018 at Hotel Clarks Amer, Jaipur .

With the most amazing lineup of artists, authors and performers for mesmerizing music and theatre performances, the Jaipur Literature Festival, in its 11th edition, will celebrate the Pink City’s exuberant heritage, against the exquisite backdrop of its popular monuments.

The five-day literary festival starting from January 25, 2018 at the magnificent venue of Diggi Palace, Jaipur will host two glorious heritage evenings, organized in association with Rajasthan Tourism, at Jaipur’s iconic Amber Fort and Hawa Mahal. On the second day of the festival i.e 26th January, ‘Under the Stars’ at Hawa Mahal will feature ‘The Troth-Usne Kaha Tha’, a multimedia dance and theatre production presented by Akademi, a UK-based producer of Indian dance, marking the centenary of World War I. The poignant narrative through an interplay between image, music and dance is something not to be missed.

On January 28, ‘A Majestic Evening’ at Amber Fort will begin with Sarangi recital by Ustad Kamal Sabri, son of sarangi legend Ustad Sabri Khan. The recital will be followed by ‘Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi…’, a tribute to the late ghazal maestro, Jagjit Singh, by singer-composer Shekhar Ravjiani.

The ZEE Jaipur Literature Festival’s Heritage Evenings will celebrate the built heritage of Rajasthan where it will highlight Rajasthan’s rich cultural and architectural legacy through the performing arts showcases.

In association with Rajasthan Tourism, the cultural evenings will present some of the best music and theatre performances against the backdrop of over 1000 years of Indian architecture and heritage i.e. Hawa Mahal and Amer. Entry to these events is through invitation only.

The Literati ‘Maha Kumbh’ of our times in its 10th year brings in the confluence of Music and prose like never before. Prepare to be blown away by an eclectic mix of talent that has descended in the historic and beautiful ‘Pink city’. There truly couldn’t be a more apt setting to this high octane yet soulful unraveling of the most incredible Literature festival on earth.

Here is a lowdown on JLF- the musical just for you. Plan your days for JLF so that you don’t miss out on any of the incredible events!

19th January 2017

9.15 AM / Diggi Palace, Front Lawns

Shillong chamber Choir :After Winning India’s got talent, this talented group went on to win 3 gold medals at the World Choir games. Equally adept at Western Classical, Hit-rock, Khasi folk Music and opera, they are indeed a treat to watch.

Nathu Lal Solanki : He hails from the legendary ‘Pushkar Sangeet Gharana.This master percussionist and his Nagara are a part of Rajasthan’s musical heritage. He is a master of ‘Kuchmani Khayal’ and his performances are mesmerizing and unforgettable.

7.30-9.45 PM / Clarks Amer

RajasthanJosh : Who doesn’t know Chugge Khan and band, also called Rajasthan Josh. They fill in this incredible space which brings together Rajasthani, Punjabi and Sufi influences of Music together.They come from the tradition of ‘Bhakti’ and ‘Sufi’ wherein the each musical piece is a guftagoo of deep divine love between the almighty & the mortal soul.

Kabir Cafe : Neeraj Arya will be the Voice of Kabir. Over last 8 years, he has taken his poetry across the country. Mir mukhtiyar and Prahald Tipanya and their folk music together with poetry of Arya is Kabir Cafe.

20th January 2017

9.15 AM / Diggi Palace, Front Lawns

Swanand Kirkire : The multi-talented writer, poet, lyricist, actor, music director, singer and theater personality is here at JLF. You have heard him on Coke-studio and Dewarist, collaborating with Zeb and Haniya on the exceedingly soulful ‘Kaho Kya Khayal Hai ?, you have heard his ‘Bande Mein Tha Dum’ from Munnabhai MBBS, ‘Behti Hawa sa tha woh’ from 3-Idiots and ‘Manjha’ from ‘Kai Po che’. You can’t give him a miss.

Ankur Tiwari & Ghalat Family: He is a playback singer and Music-director from the Indian music industry. Through his 10 year journey from a hotel trainee to music can be nothing but a story of passion. He is actually a storyteller who is just narrating his beautiful simple stories through music.you have heard his ‘Galliyan’ from Ek Tha Villian, ‘O-Yara’ from Bin roye‘ and ‘Sun raha hai na tu’ from Aashiqui -2.

7.30-9.45 PM / Clarks Amer

Bombay Bassment : The first Indian hip-hop band to perform at the prestigious ‘Glastonbury’ , members of Bombay Bassment are two Goans, one Mumbaiker, and one Kenyan. Together, Levin Mendes (drums), Ruel Barretto ( bass), Chandrashekhar Kunder and Bob Omulo aka MC Bobkat make tunes that brings together hip hop, drum ‘n’ bass, and elements of funk and reggae.

Inna Modja : she is a Malian-french singer.With hits like Mr H, La File Du Lido and French Cancan. She is a singer and song writer who expresses her music based on Motown Soul, Sahel Desert Blues, Mandinka guitars and Kora meets hip-hop.

7.30 / Ganesh Pole, Amer Fort

Rhythm and Rhyme : will be an evening of poetry readings held at Amber Fort, Jaipur on Friday, 20th January at 7.30 PM. Bringing together voices from two sides of the globe, the session will witness readings by celebrated American poet Anne Waldman and the renowned Bollywood lyricist Swanand Kirkire. This will be followed by Sarod Recital by Padma Vibhushan Ustad Amjad Ali Khan at the Amber Fort.

21st January 2017

9.15 AM / Diggi Palace, Front Lawns

Padmini Rao : Classical Singer Padmini Rao has quite a lineage. From the North Indian Classical Gharana of Kirana‘, she has trained under ‘Padmabhushan’ Dr Prabha. She has learnt Sitar from ‘Padmini Dagar’ and Drupad & Veena from Diwangat Maestro Zia Moinuddin KhanDagar‘.

7.30-9.45 PM / Clarks Amer

Soulmate : Inspired by the roots and groove sounds of the Blues, Blues-rock, soul, rock ‘n’ roll, funk and R&B, Soulmate was formed when Rudy Wallang and Tipriti Kharbangar decided to form a band dedicated to spreading awareness about the Blues genre.

Beth Orton & Sam Amidon : Beth Orton is a singer and songwriter who has released six trailblazing albums, including the BRIT Award-winning Central Reservation, and 2012’s ‘Sugaring Season’, which Vogue described as ‘a beautiful and timely album, filled with melancholy’. Sam Amidon is a singer/banjoist/fiddler/guitarist originally from Brattleboro, Vermont. He has released five acclaimed albums of radically reimagined folksongs on the Bedroom Community and Nonesuch labels, most recently 2014’s Lily-O.

Mujra se Multiplex tak : will take the audience on a journey through the magical realm of entertainment at Hawa Mahal. Coursing through the ever changing world of cultural entertainment, the session will explore how the audiences at entertainment venues have evolved over the years. Writer and musician Vidya Shah will reflect on these changes through song while actor Luke Kenny punctuates them with poignant poetry and quirky banter.

22nd January 20179.15 AM / Diggi Palace, Front Lawns

Debashish Day : He is a classical singer specialising in Thumri, Dadra, Thappa , Chaiti and Kajri. He is also well known for his Bhajan style of singing.

7.00-10.00 PM / Clarks Amer

Lisa Hannigan : Lisa Hannigan’s haunting voice has featured on soundtracks for TV series Fargo and Oscar-winning Gravity and she has collaborated with artists as diverse as Ray LaMontagne, Richard Hawley and Herbie Hancock. Her new album At Swim is her most bewitching yet.

Aga Khan All Stars : Aga Khan Music Initiative, a programme of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, is an inter-regional music and arts education programme to preserve, transmit and develop musical heritage in contemporary forms. The Aga Khan Music Initiative Ensemble brings together the Initiative’s leading artists and AKTC’s collaborators of the past fifteen years. These master musicians are not only brilliant performers, but also pioneering composers, arrangers, improvisers, teachers, and mentors. They bring all of these talents and abilities to bear on their work with the Aga Khan Music Initiative, drawing inspiration from the past to create new music, and playing an active role in the Music Initiative’s education programme. Homayoun Sakhi on the Afghan rubab, Wu Man on the pipa, Saxophonist and composer Basel Rajoub, Salar Nader on tabla, Andrea Piccioni on single-headed frame drums, and qanun player Feras Charestan. The Ensemble will perform a newly created repertoire of compositions, improvisations and contemporary arrangements inspired by tradition.

Raghu Dixit : Their infectious, happy music transcends age, genre and language. From playing to over 100,000 people in Karnataka, to Glastonbury and even playing for the Queen of England, Dixit has done it all! Have a great time to their earthy, rooted, vibrant yet simple fun.

23rd January 2017

9.15 AM / Diggi Palace, Front Lawns

East meets Middle East : It’s a confluence of MiddleEast and South Asian Musical heritage. Subrat bhattacharya (Tabla), Abhishek Lohiri (Sitar), Rony Maili on Barbat and George on the percussion. They will dissolve boundaries as their music will bring together North African, Middle eastern and South Asian nuances of music.

So go ahead, book your tickets here and spend your evening in the company of the musical greats that India and the world is here to offer at JLF.

The Zee Jaipur Literature Festival is just a couple of days away (19-23 January 2017), and you are one of those who don’t want to miss any important reading, interview session at any cost. So, here’s a list of all the sessions including cultural and musical evenings at Diggi Palace, Amer Fort, Hawa Mahal and other venues . Enjoy 🙂

As we are already excited about the Jaipur Literature Festival, which will host some of the most renowned literary heavyweights, an announcement on Friday about two “Heritage Evenings” is all set to raise the bar of the event to a new level. Rajasthan Tourism has collaborated with the Literature Festival this year to showcase poetry and music against the backdrop of two of Jaipur’s heritage monuments — the Amber Fort and Hawa Mahal on January 20 and 21.

Replicating an “East meets West” scenario, the celebrated American poet Anne Waldman and polular Bollywood lyricist Swanand Kirkire will mesmerize visitors with their readings in a session named “Rhythm and Rhyme.” This evening of poetry readings will be held at Amber Fort on January 20 and will bring voices from two sides of the globe, followed by a sarod Recital by Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, a recipient of the Padma Vibhushan, India’s second highest civilian honour.

“Mujre Se Multiplex Tak,” will take the audience on a journey through the magical realm of entertainment at Hawa Mahal on the following evening.

Writer and musician Vidya Shah will reflect on these changes through song while actor Luke Kenny punctuates them with poignant poetry and quirky banter.

“With the support of Rajasthan Tourism, the ZEE Jaipur Literature Festival will celebrate the wonderful cultural and architectural heritage of the city of Jaipur through the Festival’s Heritage Evenings! The exclusively curate evenings will offer an experience that uniquely places cultural performances within the context of the city’s built heritage and allows audiences to engage with these significant places in a new dimension.

This year’s list of speakers at the lit fest sees a host of Man Booker winners and nominees check out whom to listen in our next blog!

The ZEE Jaipur Literature Festival to be held from January 19th -23rd, 2017 announces the list of 10 speakers coming to Jaipur in January as part of its weekly campaign. Some of the Themes of ZEE JLF 2017 include Freedom to Dream: India @ 70, The Magna Carta, Translation and World Literature, Women and Marginalised Voices, Sanskrit, and Colonialism and the Legacy of the Raj.

ZEE JLF offers an experience to mingle with authors, interact with industry players, relax in the Festival Delegate lounge and enjoy the live music concerts and Festival Fringe events. The Curtain Raiser of the event in Delhi gathered audiences to enjoy joyous musical performances, powerful dramatic readings and translated renditions at the Taj Mahal Hotel, New Delhi.

With around 30 languages represented from India and across the world, the Festival will feature authors writing in Indian regional languages including the popular